The New Dragon Slayer
by The Silver Wolf-7
Summary: Ivy is a Dragon Slayer who is looking for some answers about where her dragon is. After escaping her prison of a home, she winds up in Magnolia, more specifically on Fairy Tail's doorstep. She's given the opportunity to look for her dragon and to make some friends along the way, but when the 'warden' starts searching for her, will she even have a chance to accept it? T for language
1. Chapter 1 - Who is This?

**Hello everyone! This is my first fanfic so I hope you enjoy!**

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><p>Some may call it extreme. Hell, I call it extreme.<p>

Was it necessary?

I don't know, probably.

I know Damien doesn't think it is but that's why I left without him. I didn't need him here to talk about how much of a mistake I was making. How was this a mistake? I was doing what any concerned child would do and look for their parents. But it's just one parent for me. Now, anyway. It wasn't always like that, though.

The dirt road I was walking on starting changing into a large cobblestone path, signaling I was soon entering the city, Magnolia. I got a good look of it a few miles back on a hill that overlooked it. It was pretty damn big and strangely diverse. Such an important city as it is, I would have expected the buildings to be carbon copies of each other but that apparently was not the case. It seemed every building was different in some way.

I was walking closer and closer to the city gate when a rather strong breeze ruffled my onyx hair. My hair was really long, even for me and I almost never cut my hair, only when it's absolutely terrible. I blinked my blue eyes, stinging because of the wind. My dark cloak billowed against the breeze and for some reason I felt extremely scared. I can't clearly explain it but something deep within my very being shuddered with this wind and gave me a strange premonition.

Aside from the creepy episode that I had experienced right before my city debut, I was feeling quite excited. I had finally made the journey to Magnolia, something I had wanted to do for 10 years, since the rumors of the Salamander spread to my sleepy country-side village. Soon then after, word of the Iron Dragon Slayer crept here. Both were from Magnolia. Both must have dragons, right? I had already met Damien by then and told him my master plan of traveling to Magnolia to meet them. He shot it down completely and forbade me to speak of it again. I told him to stop being so protective.

Then, to my sheer anxiousness, the Heavenly Dragon Slayer shows up, not to mention the White Dragon and Shadow Dragon slayers. I pleaded Damien to let me go but he refused. So many Dragon Slayers! It had to mean something, didn't it? I thought it did. So I got Damien drunk and left the cottage late and walked out of town. I think the residents didn't care much for me anyway.

_Stop thinking of Damien, you'll see him soon, probably. _I told myself. I thought happy thoughts and went on my merry way into the gargantuan city in search of the Salamander.

…

I dragged myself into a bar and slumped on a wooden stool, exhausted from wandering the city. There was so much to see, it was hard to restrain myself from wasting my entire day. Oh well, there's always tomorrow. A plump man with a large beard tending the bar raised an eyebrow at me as I slumped practically all my weight on the counter, resting my head on my forearms .

"Can I help you, Miss?" he asked with suspicion.

"Alcohol, please," I moaned, reaching in to the small coin satchel on my belt and putting a small wad of jewel bills on the counter. "And a room."

He was not going to question the money facing him, so he handed me a mug of beer, a plate of food, don't remember what it was but it was good, and a room key to room 7. I downed two pints and stumbled up the wooden stairs to a door that had a large metal plate with the number 7 on it. I turned the knob and shut the door, locking it, throwing the key on the nightstand next to a very comfortable looking bed, and sat on the edge of said bed. I threw my backpack off and set it on the dresser in front of the cot. I undid the buttons on my cloak, folded and placed next to my backpack. I then collapsed into the bed and drifted off to dreamland…

…

I groaned as my brain decided to dwell on the fact that it was bright outside, so I opened my eyes and was temporarily blinded by the sunny day outside. I slowly propped myself up on my elbows and then onto my hand. I stretched and grunted. clambering out of bed and grabbing my backpack, I dug around inside and found my hair brush, a gift from my father, Galaxus. It was black with small light orbs always changing on the surface. He told me it was enchanted with magic and that as long as he was alive, the little stars on the brush would always shine.

I smiled at this past memory while I prepared to leave the room. I placed my cloak back on and left the room. As I appeared downstairs, I threw my room key in the direction of the bartender. He said something like "Shit!" as he fumbled to catch the key. I walked up to the bar.

"Hey pops, do you know where a man named Natsu is?" I asked while swiping a deep red apple from a small basket on the counter. "Also goes by Salamander, I think."

The man sighs and rolls his eyes. "That brat?" he asks somewhat annoyed. "You want to see that fire breathing dork? He's at Fairy Tail, obviously."

"As in, the Fairy Tail guild, am I correct?" I nearly spit out the apple I had taken a bite out of. Fairy Tail was a guild full of powerful mages. I should have known that at least ONE Dragon Slayer would be there. The man nodded.

"I hope you're not planning on joining; just about everyone here has had enough of the trouble they bring with them. You can get seriously hurt there." The old man obviously didn't understand that I had only asked if he knew where Salamander was, I didn't need a lecture.

"Okay pops. Thanks for everything." I waved my hand behind me as I went through the door. The massive guild should be pretty easy to find even in a city as grand as Magnolia. Almost everyone knew the Fairy Tail insignia, including me.

_Alright Ivy, time to find yourself a Dragon Slayer!_

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><p><strong>I know this chapter was pretty slow and didn't really explain much but we learn her name! Please review if think I should continue or if I made a HUGE mistake! Thank you for reading!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2 - The News

**I'm back! And so soon! I decided to post the second chapter same day for some reason. I don't suspect I'll be really busy over the summer so there shouldn't be a lot of time between releases for now. Enjoy!**

**I do not own Fairy Tail!**

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><p>After wandering the streets for a few hours, I finally found the guild.<p>

"Fairy Tail," I breathed in awe. The building itself was quite large. The most captivating to me was the large banner with the iconic Fairy Tail insignia. I had heard that since they won the Grand Magic Games, their old guild hall was returned. I smiled, though I don't know why. I took a deep breath, and opened the doors.

Inside the hall, the wooden floors had large tables with many chairs sat nicely in a cozy yet not smothering way. Almost all of them were full of a variety of people chatting, laughing, and arguing. People eating and drinking and generally having a grand old time.

I smirked and walked over to the bar of the guild. I removed my hood on the cloak while a young and beautiful woman approached me. She had lovely white hair, deep blue eyes, and a warm smile. She wore a simple red dress with pink ribbon accents that showed off her figure nicely. She smiled at me.

"I don't think I've ever seen you before," she remarked in a polite tone. "I'm Mirajane, are you here to join Fairy Tail?" I shook my head simply.

"Actually, I'm looking for someone," I told her.

"I know just about everyone here," she said. "I can help you with that." I smiled at her. She was so kind, I was a bit out of my element. I'm usually direct and kind of harsh but my conscious was screaming at me to be a nice girl.

"Well, his name is Natsu," I said knowing she would be surprised. But she wasn't really. She looked more worried than anything.

"I'm sorry, did he destroy your property?" she asked apologetically like it was a common occurrence. I shook my head to reassure her.

"No," I said. "Nothing like that. I just need to talk to a Dragon Slayer really." She tilted her head to the right slightly and beamed at me. Wasn't she tired of so much freakin' smiling?

"A fan perhaps?" she asked brightly. I wanted to roll my eyes.

"No, not really," I told her flatly. She looked a bit worried for a second, but she smiled again quickly and pointed in some direction off to her left.

"We have three Dragon Slayer members; Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy. Natsu is the one with pink hair, Gajeel has loads of piercings, and little Wendy is well, little. She's quite young." I spotted them all. _Quite a crowd_, I thought. I thanked her and headed their way.

Immediately, the one Mirajane described as Gajeel looked at me as I neared them. The other two followed soon after. They were among a large group of people, very different looking from each other really. The only one that caught my attention was a blond haired woman wearing a kind of skimpy outfit. She had a definitive smell on her, almost familiar. Weird.

Natsu, I presume, crossed his arms defensively and gave me a harsh stare, not exactly a glare but it was obvious he was very protective of his friends. "Can we help you?" he asked roughly. The girl, Wendy, gave him a worried stare. She was obviously the most gentle among them. "Natsu-san…" she said in a small voice. I leaned against one of the wooden pillars near their table that held up the roof of the guild.

"I would like to talk the Dragon Slayers," I said firm and calm. "I'm not dangerous, I assure you." I glanced mostly in Natsu's direction since he was giving me the evil eye. The three looked at each other, surprise shined in their eyes while their non-slayer friends stared at me strangely. I could fell the stares of other guild members burning into me as they overheard the conversation. I stayed firm.

"Why?" asked Gajeel in a rough voice. I sensed darkness from him, but shook it off.

"I happen to have a missing dragon," I state flatly. "And judging from your expressions, you do too." They looked at me with utter shock while I smirked. "Guess you weren't expecting me to say that," I said while crossing my arms, still leaning on the pillar. The table goers all looked at each other and started mumbling urgently.

"Another Dragon Slayer?"

"What's going on?"

"How many are out there?"

I ignored them and continued. "Galaxus, my dragon, disappeared around 14 years ago, July 7, 777." I was standing upright now, looking at the three intently. Wendy looked shaken.

"Ours too!" the little Dragon Slayer exclaimed.

"July 7, 777," Gajeel repeated to himself.

Natsu looked angered and confused. "Why? What does it mean?" he asked almost angrily. Some of the other guild members looked at each other and started whispering things. I shook my head with genuine worry.

"I'm not sure," I stated. "I don't where they could be, either. But I do know something." The last sentence caused interest amongst the whole group. _They probably don't know much about it_, I thought to myself. _I was lucky to even get this information_.

"Our dragons are alive," I said firmly and louder than normal. They all looked at me eyes wide. "It shouldn't be so surprising," I said taken aback. "I don't know about you guys, but I know Galaxus wouldn't have just died."

Their eyes returned to normal and Wendy even smiled. "Grandine, too!" she said confidently. "Igneel either!" Natsu said as a smirk appeared on his face. Gajeel didn't smile like the rest but he said with confidence, "Neither would Metalicana, but how can you be so sure?"

I took a deep breath and removed my backpack, setting it down on an empty space on the table. The group parted to allow me to put down my pack as they stood around me. I reached in the backpack after opening the flap and pulled out my hairbrush. The small stars placed around it showed what looked like the constellation Orion.

"A hairbrush?" Natsu asked in condescending skepticism. "What does a hairbrush have to do with our dragons?" I glared at him.

"The hairbrush is enchanted," I said in a prickly voice before calming again. "Galaxus enchanted it for me with his magic. He said that the stars would only disappear when the castor was deceased. I figure that if all of our dragons all disappeared on the same date, perhaps they're all together, right?" The Dragon Slayers nodded slowly.

"That makes sense," Wendy said. I nodded and continued.

"If Galaxus is alive, then that means yours should be as well, right?" I asked as their faces started to brighten.

"Our dragons are alive," Wendy said shocked. "Grandine… Grandine is…" she broke out into to tears and hugged her white cat. "Thank goodness!" she sobbed as she ran over and clutched onto me.

"Metalicana," Gajeel said in disbelief. I could tell he was happy, even if he didn't show it.

"Our dragons are alive!" Natsu shouted loudly. He looked ecstatic and the guild reacted to his message with cheers. I was now hugging the girl back. I reached my hand to her shoulders to gently bring her away. Her tears vanished and were replaced with a huge, genuine smile.

I smiled softly. _You did good Ivy, _I told myself. _You did real good. _

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><p><strong>Woah, this chapter<strong> **ended a bit suddenly! I couldn't find a good way to end it but it's here! And on such a good note too! Leave a review if you have any suggestions or questions. For now, I want to continue this but I don't know for how long... By the way, Galaxus kind of sounds like Laxus, huh. That was pure coincidence just so people aren't confused. See ya guys next chapter! _  
><em>**

_**Thanks for reading! ;3**_


	3. Chapter 3 - The Key

**Hey guys! I decided to have this story take place after what is going down with Hades and the 3000 Face thing. For those of you who don't know what that entails, enjoy a SPOILER!**

**Lucy has to break Aquarius's key to summon the Celestial Spirit King to save her friends.**

**That's all I'm going to say still it suck that I have to spoil it but for good reason as you'll see.**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>"Geez, is he always like this?" I asked as the pink haired slayer was riling up the whole guild, jumping from table to table screaming something along the lines of "Igneel's alive ya bastards!"<p>

I was sitting by now, after being invited by the friendly group to stay for a while after they discovered my Dragon Slayer powers. I learned who was who in the guild(although it was quite confusing with so many people) and I staring guessing their magic abilities. After getting so many correct tries, it looked as though it was a game to see if I was correct or not.

"Solid script," I said flatly while nodding toward a small blunette named Levy. She nodded enthusiastically and some of her table mates praised my perception.

"That's amazing!" Levy exclaimed. "How are you so accurate?" I shrugged at her.

"It's a gift, I guess," I said while stretching. That wasn't entirely true though. My magic does most of the work. I can tell a lot about people before I meet them from the aura that surrounds them. I don't really know what is has to do with my magic at all though. I took notice of the blonde haired woman again. She looked happy yet somehow tortured inside.

"Lucy, right?" I asked sweetly, prompting her for conversation. She looked up from the drink she had. She smiled at me slightly.

"That's right," she said. I was surprised at the hurt in her voice. Something was definitely wrong with this mage and her friends didn't seem to take much notice. Either they were ignoring it, or they didn't know. My perception skills was extremely advanced after all, it was a curse sometimes. While her fellow mages were busy with talking and trying to break up a fight between Natsu and Gajeel, ultimately making everyone fight, I wanted to see what was wrong.

"Sorry," I said kindly. "I kind of noticed earlier; is something wrong?" She looked taken aback, obviously surprised that someone took notice of her silent brooding. She quickly smiled again.

"I'm alright," she said shaking her head. I decided to quit the nice girl act for a little while. I rolled my eyes.

"You're a terrible liar," I said coldly. Her eyes widened at me. She was about to say something when I cut her off. "You don't have to lie to me. What is it about?" She looked at her drink disheartened. It was a touchy subject obviously but I wanted to know. She sighed hugely and looked at me.

"I'm a Celestial Spirit Mage," she said calm yet sad. "In a recent battle, I had to break one of my precious keys to summon the Spirit King. I really miss her and no matter what, I feel so guilty about breaking her key, even though she told me to. I'm just mourning, it's nothing to worry about."

By now a few of her friends were listening now, if I remember correctly they were Wendy, Levy, Erza, Lisanna, and Happy the blue Exceed that belong to Natsu. Mirajane was also eavesdropping; I think she knew there was something up with Lucy and was checking on her friend.

I looked at Lucy determinedly which slightly surprised her.

"Do you have the key on you?" I asked, silently taking notice of the gathering crowd of the people who got tired of the petty fighting. One of them was a little boy named Romeo.

"What?" Lucy asked in shock. The others looked at me confused.

"The key you broke, do you have the pieces on you?" I asked again deadly serious. Lucy reluctantly nodded while Gajeel made his way to our group. Erza started breaking up the last of the fight which was mostly Gray and Natsu. They were complete opposites from what I could gather.

I focused attention back towards Lucy. "Gimme 'em," I said while gesturing for her to do so. She just stared at me like I was out of my mind, while her friends gave me defensive looks.

"What?" she asked. "No, why?" I rolled my eyes. She must have thought I wanted it.

"I'm not gonna steal it, now give it here," I said, annoyance lining my words. The surrounding mages: Natsu, Erza, Gray, Wendy, Happy, Charle, Juvia, Levy, and Gajeel, all stared at me dangerously. Lucy looked at me for a moment. Eventually she just gave up, sighing as she reached on the side of her belt. Her friends looked at her in surprise and disbelief.

"What are you doing Lucy?" asked Natsu in surprise at his friend. She snapped at him to be silent with her free hand while the other grabbed the key. She handed me the two pieces to me with a glare that said, "If you do anything tricky, I'll kill you." I acknowledged her stare with a nod.

I studied the two pieces in my hand very intently. The little gold key had snapped exactly in half, one piece for actually opening a lock while the other was the handle. The handle had a white plate with a celestial symbol with special gold designs surrounding it.

"Aquarius," I mumbled out loud only for myself but I heard a gasp from Lucy.

"You know Aquarius's symbol?" she asked somewhat impressed. I nodded absentmindedly, not paying attention to her anymore; I was focusing on the key. I focused on the two ends that had snapped. I noticed the key had lost the unique magic power it usually held within. It reminded me of a Spirit Key I had once found before, although that one wasn't snapped in half like Lucy's.

"When the key snapped," I said while deep in thought. "It must have released all of the power inside to summon the Spirit King…" Lucy let out a frightened sigh. I couldn't blame her for being upset when learning how her precious spirit was destroyed. I looked at the key in surprise, gasping slightly.

"What is it?" asked Happy who looked like he didn't quite understand what was going on.

"Hold these for a moment," I asked Lucy while handing her the two pieces. I took my cloak off and threw on the chair I had been on. I was wearing a black tank top, black shorts, and of course, black combat boots. I was standing now to study the key better. I looked in the Spirit mage's grasp and held my hand out for the key. Lucy handed them back to me without question this time.

"There's some magic power trapped at the ends of the key," I responded.

"So what does that mean?" asked Erza.

I looked at Lucy. "It means Aquarius's key is regenerating itself," I announced. "The magic is literally spilling out of the key."

"Then that means," Lucy said looking like she was going to cry tears of relief. "Aquarius is going to be okay?" I studied the key a bit longer. _Would it work?_ I asked myself. _More importantly, can I even pull it off? _

"Well, like I said, the magic is leaking out of the key. When a Celestial spirit returns to their realm, their key is a way to check their healing progress if they're wounded or drained of power. The key is created to retain the power that regenerates for their recovery. When the key is broken, the magic is released and can't resonate inside so at this rate, the key is wasting her power. In other words, unless the key is sealed, Aquarius won't return."

Lucy looked down and quietly sobbed, burying her face in her hands. I looked at her funny as her friends tried to comfort her. Gray stared at me. "Why are you looking at her like that?" he demanded. I shrugged.

"I just wanna know why she's crying," I replied bored. These people like jumping to conclusions about strangers. "I can _fix_ her key, you know that right?" I directed the last question towards Lucy who looked up at me in shock.

"You," she sniffed. "You can… fix it?" I nodded as she looked at me with her chocolate eyes, filled with tears and disbelief.

"More importantly," said Erza crossing her arms with a dangerous look about her. "_Will_ you fix it?"

"Why wouldn't I?" I asked her confused. "I have no reason not to. I'm going to need space though."

…

Within a few minutes, the guild moved furniture around to allow a large circular space in the middle to be used for me. I stood in the center and explained the procedure to Lucy and Natsu.

"Basically," I said while simultaneously putting my hair into a messy high ponytail. "I'm going to force my magic onto the snapped ends of the key and allow the buildup of Aquarius's magic power on both ends. That will take quite a few hours at least. When she has gained a substantial amount of magic power on both ends, I'll force the two together and release the caps I had previously put on and if it was successful, Aquarius's power should react key should restore."

"Amazing!" Lucy exclaimed happily. "How do you know so much about Spirit Keys?"

"I don't really get but it sounds awesome!" remarked Natsu sharing his friend's good mood.

"I just want to let you know," I said raising my voice, to address the guild. "It is going to take a lot of time and concentration. I _cannot_ be interrupted while performing this. If I'm even a little bit off, I could release all of her magic and that would be _extremely _bad."

This guild acknowledged my request for silence. I nodded and told Natsu and Lucy get far enough away so they wouldn't get in the barrier.

"By the way!" I informed Fairy Tail. "I will be putting up a barrier of my own magic. Don't touch it or you'll get _seriously_ hurt. It won't be as large as the space I've cleared out but still don't get near it."

The excited whispers of the guild resound as they wonder what kind of magic I use as a Dragon Slayer. I smirked as I set the key parts next to each other. I stood in front of the key pieces, clapped my hands together and felt my magic power growing.

"Celestial Dragon's Defense! Galaxy Dome!" I shouted my voice full of power. The gasps from around the crowd were full of wonder. The barrier was less than half the size of the original size of the clearing that was made. The seemingly thin dome covered the area the keys and I were standing under and about a 5 foot radius around me. Above me, the dome was a night sky that showed off the constellations perfectly. On the outside, the members would be able to watch me as well as the stars that littered the surface.

I took a deep breath and started channeling my magic power toward the key. The pieces slowly started to lift after I outstretched my arms. They stayed suspended in the air when they got to the height of my hands and slowly, my magic concentrated on the break of each part. The ends started to glow a brilliant gold and silver color, the most common colors of my magic.

As soon as the caps on the key were placed, I felt the strain. The power wanted nothing more than to be released but I denied it the ability. I made my estimate based on the first 30 minutes of having the magic regenerate and realized it wouldn't take as long as I had expected it to. It would only take around 5 hours to seal instead of the 8 I had originally planned. Aquarius sure was strong, I'll give her that. I started to think about how my body would feel after the procedure once I was done and shivered.

I had done this once before and let's just say that waking up after sleeping for over a week was not fun.

I sighed.

_This is going to take a while_.

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><p><strong>I REALLY didn't like the way I ended this chapter but then again, I always do. This on is a bit longer than before because I just couldn't help myself. Thanks for sticking with it!<strong>

**Questions? Feel free to leave them in a review. I'll answer when the next chapter goes up**

_**Thank for reading! ;3**_


	4. Chapter 4 - Complete

**Hey guys! Oh my god, writing this chapter was _horrendous_ for me but I hope its not terrible! I apologize for the lack of anything really interesting happening in these first few chapters but I hope to pick the pace up with an idea I have but that's a long way away.**

**I don't own Fairy Tail. I wouldn't be writing these if I did...**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>(Guild's POV)<p>

The guild was becoming restless. It was great that Ivy was willing to help their beloved Celestial Spirit Mage, but it was taking a long time. She had started at around two o'clock but it was quickly nearing five o'clock and people were becoming anxious. Little Asuka marveled at the starry dome that surrounded the Dragon Slayer, her parents, Bisca and Alzack, keeping her close to them heeding the warning the mage had given them beforehand.

Lucy had started becoming more worried by the minute. From what she could tell, the procedure Ivy was trying to do was quite dangerous; she was very explicit on that part. She bit her lower lip as Mirajane sliding a cup of tea to her at the bar. Lucy smiled at the kind S-Class mage.

"Thanks," she said gratefully while taking a small sip. Mira smiled at her warmly.

"Not a problem," she replied. "You looked like you could use it."

Lucy turned her head to see Natsu talking with their friends along with the Exceeds Happy, Charle, and Panther Lily. They were talking about dragons and theories about Ivy's magic. As far as Lucy could tell, Ivy used some version of Celestial magic, although she didn't know what that entailed. It freaked her out that there was someone else that could use a form of Celestial magic, and it made her more uneasy that Ivy knew more about Spirit Keys then she did.

Lucy sighed and turned her attention to the newest Dragon Slayer, who was currently fixing Aquarius's key. It was a bit difficult to see inside but it was easy to see that Ivy was feeling strained. Her breathing was changing to a slightly faster pace and she was starting to sweat. Lucy shuddered at the idea of concentrating so much energy for such a long time. She hoped Ivy wouldn't have to go through much longer.

…

"She sure is weird," Natsu concluded while putting his feet up on the table he was sitting at.

"Natsu-san!" Wendy scolded slightly sitting more politely beside him. "She helped us and now she's helping Lucy-san a great deal. You should be more respectful!"

Gajeel crossed his arms and leaned against a wooden pillar. "Her _behavior_ is weird more than anything," he said.

"I have to agree with Gajeel," Levy announced. She stood next to him looking intently at the group. "It's really random for her to help us and she doesn't really benefit from it at all."

"Mmmm," Erza nodded in agreement.

"It is kind of strange," Gray said.

"Juvia thinks so too," she stated. Lisanna didn't look so sure.

"Maybe she just wants to help," she suggested. "After all, she IS a Dragon Slayer and seems to share a similar magic type to Lucy." The group contemplates this for a moment. After a while, Natsu sighed.

"I don't get it," he mumbled while stretching. "But I guess she's a good person. She told us about our dragons after all. Not that I thought Igneel was dead." Gajeel rolled his eyes and sighed.

"But is taking too damn long," he moaned impatiently. Levy gave him a glare and he quickly got quiet.

"Be nice," Levy scolded. "I can't imagine how hard this must be to pull off. She must be really something in a fight." At this comment, Natsu and Gajeel perked up.

"Oh?" Natsu remarked, a smirk growing on his face. "Guess I should challenge her when this whole thing is over."

"Like you would win," Gajeel snorted. "That girl would probably lay your ass out in 2 minutes."

"The hell did you say?!" Natsu yelled while quickly jumping to his feet. The two started squabbling about this, that, and the other until a stern glare from Erza quieted them immediately. They both sighed and went back to relaxing until Ivy was done with the repairing of the key.

…

(Back to Ivy's POV)

After the initial 5 hours of power-storing, magic capping fun, I positioned the two key pieces to line up perfectly to assure it would look good as new when it would fuse together again. My brow furrowed in concentration as I made the pieces come closer together, stopping before they touched. I took notice of my breathing, how it kept speeding up with the strain of all the labor intensive hours it took to fix the key. I exhaled deeply and refocused my attention to the caps I had put on the key.

After checking three times that the pieces were lined perfectly, I decided to unleash the caps. The silver and gold ends that had kept the power inside both ends of the key dissipated and I felt a sudden wave of relief. Holding back the power inside the key was like putting a dam down in the middle of the ocean; it's pretty impossible and kind of a stupid idea.

A brilliant light shined from both ends of the keys and I suddenly push the pieces together so they touched. At first nothing happened but after about 10 seconds, the two pieces started to react to each other. The key started becoming harder and harder to keep together, but if I pulled away now, all of the pent up magic power inside would release all at once and let's just say, that's a bad thing. A _very_ bad thing.

After a few minutes or so, the light became dimmer and dimmer, slowly retreating from the size of a torch fire to a tiny candle flame. Just as the light was about to retreat to seal the break in the key, a sudden warmth washed across me and a disembodied voice echoed in my head.

"Thank you…"

A small smile appeared on my face as I felt the warmth dissipate. The key slowly fell back into my hand as I dropped to my knees, feeling the sudden drain of my power settle in. The guild members quickly stood up to see the key. The barrier I placed around me prior to this started cracking. All of the members stopped in their tracks as my barrier shattered into a million pieces, each in turn shimmered like diamonds until dissipating entirely.

Lucy tried to walk over to me but I raised my hand to stop her which she obeyed. I opened the tight grasp I had on Aquarius's key and studied it (as much as I could with my vision blurring) to check for any unfilled cracks. When I was sure the key was okay, I raised it as high as I could. Lucy ran over and retrieved it, grasping it gently and hugging it. Tears fell down her face as she thanked me over and over again. Her friends started walking towards us as I attempted to stand. I managed okay in the beginning until I felt myself losing consciousness.

"Shit…" I mumbled as I lost my footing and fell towards the floor. I'm pretty sure someone caught me because I didn't hit anything hard but I'm not sure who because by then my eyes were fully closed. I quickly forced them opened them again and saw I was placed on the wooden floor gently by a little old man wearing a white coat.

"Master!" someone called in surprised.

Master? As in the Fairy Tail Guild Master? Where had he been? I couldn't really hear everything that was going on but I think someone told him was going on because he eventually said, "Oh really?" and looked back at me. "Anything to add to this story?" he asked with amusement on his face. I looked at him a smiled.

"I believe this is the part where I pass out," I told him. And I did.

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><p><strong>I still am terrible at ending chapters! How was it? Please leave a review telling me what you think or any suggestions you might have to make the story better. I hope to update more frequently before break is over but the first day of hell is approaching. T_T<strong>

**_Thanks for reading! :3_**


	5. Chapter 5 - The Awakening

**_Oh my god I haven't posted in forever. _**

**_I really have to apologize for not updating. I've been writing this chapter on and off but nothing seemed to be turning out right and UUUUUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHH._**

**_ Anyway, I'm going to try to post weekly because people have been following the story since its been on temporary hiatus. So hurray for that. Also, I realized that I don't really know how to make to plot move forward so I'm going to come up with ideas on how to continue. I'm always open to suggestions so if you have any lovely ideas, feel free to review or message me or however else you can I still have no idea how to work this website. Or don't. It's up to you, really. So without further ado, I present Chapter 5 - The Awakening. (Is that even how you spell ado?)_**

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><p>I had a weird dream.<p>

I dreamt that I was floating in a sea of soft light. I was lighter than air and was just sailing through. Then I was on a grassy hill at twilight, the stars shining brighter than usual and the moon nowhere to be seen. I was lying down but something was wrong. Tears were streaming down my cheeks yet no sobs erupted from me. I was just crying and I felt like I knew why but I wasn't thinking about it. I felt a presence approach and lie down next to me.

Suddenly I realized that this was a dream of my memories. This was when I first met Damien after Galaxus disappeared. I was a bit broken at first but Damien had shown me that when you get knocked down, you get back up. A sob erupted from my mouth as Damien comforted me.

I jolted awake in a cold sweat, panting in short bursts as I tried to calm myself down. My cheeks were wet from the tears of my dream and my head was aching. Looking around, I noticed I was placed in some sort of infirmary, probably Fairy Tail's. The windows let in a soft light, reminding me of my dream. I shuddered in disgust. I hated weird dreams that were just replays of my past. I get them more often than anyone should, which was strange to me.

I got out of the white bed I had been placed in and looked to the bed next to me. A small bundle of clothes had been prepared there. I looked at my own attire, dirty and pretty gross smelling. a small note had been placed on the bundle that read:

_Ivy,_

_These are for you! Feel free to use the shower in the bathroom on the right. Come down to the Guild Hall when you're done, the Master wants to see you._

_~Mirajane  
><em>

I smirked a little while I grabbed the bundle and headed for the bathroom.

The shower was very pleasant and the clothes weren't half bad. A black skirt and a tight half shirt identical to the one I had on before. I tied back my hair and slowly made way to the Guild Hall. I was pretty sore from using all of my magic before, but it felt that most of it had returned so it didn't bother me that much.

When I emerged from the staircase, someone called out, "She's awake!"

Dammit. I wanted to sneak in quietly but apparently they have been waiting for me. All eyes turned to me but I ignored them by heading to the bar. Mirajane was polishing a glass as she hummed a tune. She looked up when I approached and smiled.

"Good to see you up and about!" she exclaimed happily. "Master is out right now, but he should be back before nightfall. He said you could stay here as long as you need in the meantime." I nod my thanks as I slide into a bar stool.

"Got any food?" I ask hopefully. She smiles and places a bowl of stew in front of me. I give her a grateful look and scarf down the savory goodness. As I eat, Mirajane speaks to me about the events that followed after I passed out.

"We put you in the infirmary after you used too much magic," she explains as she busies herself with things around the bar. "Master asked us a bit about what happened and we told him everything. He seemed really grateful for your actions. We all are really."

I finished my stew and pushed the bowl forward and let out a contented sigh. Fairy Tail. I never really imagined it to be anything like what it was. I actual felt a bit flustered about being here. Everyone was so caring and friendly and loud and, different. The guild wasn't as intimidating as I originally thought, that's for sure. I was suddenly aware to a presence behind me and spun around quickly to see who it was.

Lucy stood there, smiling at me with large brown eyes. She sat on the bar stool to my left and asked Mira for a glass of cider. She looked back at me with such admiration, it was a bit startling.

"Good morning!" she said cheerfully. I nodded at her as she ordered two drinks. Little by little, she was gaining my affection. After sliding one mug of ale to me, she took a gulp of her own pint. I glanced at her curiously, trying to read her.

"So have you tried summoning Aquarius yet?" I asked nonchalantly. Lucy put her head on her left hand and sighed.

"I've kind of been afraid to," she said. "Aquarius's mood is already pretty awful as it is. I don't even want to know what she'll do now that I broke her key and took so long to bring her back."

I chuckled as I took a few gulps of the cold ale. "How long have been out?" I ask as I rub my neck. I hadn't really realized how much my body ached but it was starting to make itself apparent.

"Actually, quite a while," Lucy stated awkwardly. "I think this is the fourth day."

I looked at her in surprise. "Only four days? Yes! That's so much better than a week."

Now she looked surprised. "Wait, you've been unconscious for an entire week once?"

"A bit over that actually, I'm afraid. A friend of mine used to get so angry me whenever we would spar because I would wind up using all of my power in like one or two attacks and then pass out before he could even try anything. But this one time it was really bad because I kept going even though we both knew I was just setting myself up for failure and then Bam! Out like a light."

Lucy laughed and I grinned at my own stupidity. Not just the story. What was I doing? Why am I sitting at this bar in a guild I'm not a part of in a city I shouldn't even be in. I shook my head and took a few swigs. Suddenly, I felt myself go pale. I set my glass down and ran a hand through my unruly hair. Lucy gave me a strange look.

"Something the matter?" she asked confused. I immediately regained my composure. No one needs to know about this now. I put a hand to my head and feign a headache.

"No no, my head just hurts a little, so I got a bit queasy. I'm alright now, it was just a little headache."

Lucy didn't seemed too convinced but if she was that worried about it, she didn't show it. Instead she started asking me questions.

"I've been wonder for a while now but, how do you know so much about Spirit Key and my magic overall?"

I set my elbows on the table and sighed. "Galaxus. He taught me everything I know about, well, everything. He taught me the history of a lot of magics, so it was obvious he wanted to tell me everything about Celestial Spirit magic. He always loved telling the stories of the Spirit's and how they became constellations in the first place. But it wasn't just stories. He taught me a lot about the keys themselves and the Spirit Realm. I know the fundamentals of a lot of magics,but I'm quite well versed in the Celestial ones. I can't really be the daughter of the Celestial Dragon not know what I'm doing."

Lucy looked slightly awed. She opened her as if to say something but she stopped suddenly and looked behind me. I sensed the presence for a little while now, but I didn't make any moves. I turned around to see the Guild Master of Fairy Tail.

"Makarov Dreyer," I acknowledge. He nods to me.

"Good to see you're up and about," he says in a gruff voice. "It gave us quite the shock when you fell unconscious."

"I'm all better now thanks to you and your members," I say with gratitude. "I cannot thank you enough."

"You've already helped us more than we can ever repay!" he exclaimed. "Helping our precious member Lucy the way you have, it is a debt we might never recompense."

"Not at all," I said, starting to loose my kind edge. "But if we could skip the formalities, I think we could speed this conversation along quite nicely. May I ask what you require me for?"

The short man grins at me. "I'm glad you have some spunk kid," he chuckled. "You'll fit in quite nicely, I think."

I blink at him a few times before what he has just said sinks in. "Whatever could you be implying, Makarov?"

"Oh I think you know." His voice is full of power and pride. "Ivy, I am formally inviting you to join Fairy Tail."

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><p><strong><em>Geez, its so scary writing an ending for a chapter. Welp. I tried. Have a good day. Or night, depending when you're reading this. <em>**

**_Have I mentioned that I don't own Fairy Tail? Because I don't. Shocking, I know._ **


	6. Chapter 6 - Early Memories of Fury

**_Two chapters in one week? What foolish trickery is this?_**

**_An apology to anyone who was really wanting more updates. But holy crap a lot more people are actually enjoying this than I thought. So thank you all for that._**

**_There's a bit of a treat in this chapter, can you guess what it is?_**

**_..._**

**_..._**

**_..._**

**_It's plot. Just kidding, its more back story than anything. Because absolutely EVERYONE must have been wondering who the mysterious Damien is. _**

**_And this is actually no help at all. Sorry 'bout that._**

**_Also, I don't own Fairy Tail. Oh, the things I would do if I did..._**

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><p>When I got back to the infirmary, I flung myself on the nearest cot and stared at the ceiling.<p>

Everything was happening all at once.

…

"Wait, you seriously want me to join your guild?"

I looked at the short Guild Master with complete shock. Lucy next to me didn't seem all that surprised. In fact she was smiling. Was she in on this too?

"Why wouldn't I?" he asked me. "You've proven to me and to the rest of my guild that you are willing to help others at the expense of your own health. Not to mention your magical stamina is one to be marvelled at. I don't think even a master could use their magic in the way you have for as long as you have."

His flattery was falling upon deaf ears. I could only think about Damien. No doubt he was already well on his way here, ready to drag me back by the scruff of my neck. I shivered internally.

I barely noticed the crowd that gathered but I did notice The Dragon Slayers with their usual group. They all gave me encouraging smiles. I looked away from them quickly and turned my gaze toward Makarov. He looked so sure that he didn't regret his decision.

"I…," I broke and put a hand to my head. "Normally I would assume that this is cut and dry conversation. But right now, I'm not really in a position to give you a direct answer."

I looked around at all of the hopeful faces around me and felt myself sink. "I'm sorry, but I don't know."

A few reactions from the crowd occurred. Shock, disbelief, thoughtful nods, and slight disappointment. Makarov however, did not looked fazed. He just gave me a slight smile.

"That's completely fair," he said. "Some people do have trouble making a decision on the spot. My offer still stands so by all means, if you need to think about it please do."

…

I groaned as I flipped myself onto my stomach and buried my face in the soft pillow. I had absolutely no right to make this decision after everything I had done to come here. I lied to my closest friend and left everyone who had ever cared for me, all to carry out a selfish wish to go and find Galaxus.

But who doesn't want to find their dad after he disappears? I used to think that I was the only one who cared about Galaxus enough to go out and find him. But when I got older, I realized it was killing Damien almost as much as it was killing me.

I never understood why though. Damien honestly just appeared out of the blue a week after Galaxus vanished and then suddenly pledges to protect me from harm. I knew Galaxus had something to do with it but I haven't the slightest clue as to why he would do it in the first place.

Rolling onto my back again, someone opened the door to the infirmary.

To my surprise, it was Natsu, looking a bit angry.

"Here to yell at me for not joining the guild immediately?" I ask him as I cross my legs and put my hands behind my head. "Because you can spare me the lecture."

"Master doesn't ask for people to join often," his voice was tinged with anger. "Why don't you want to join?"

"I have my reasons," I said as I looked at my nails nonchalantly. "Reasons that you don't need to know. As for not _wanting _to join, I never said I didn't want to join. I would love to join Fairy Tail."

He blinked at me with surprise. "Then why aren't you joining?" The anger was gone, replaced by exasperation.

"I told," I sighed, sitting up. "Reasons."

"Why are you so secretive about everything you do?"

"Why do you ask so many questions?"

We stared at each other for a moment before I broke away to raise my knees to my chest. "My life is mine and mine alone," I told him in the most serious tone I could muster. "I don't know if you would understand that, but there are things in my past that people don't need to know. It might even be helpful if I could forget about it myself but I'm not that lucky."

He looked at me confused. "What do you mean?"

I closed my eyes and shook my head. I've always managed to do this. I've always managed to get attached to a place I've barely been and grow to be too empathetic to people I barely know. I truth, I felt bad knowing that I could probably tell no one my past but Damien, who might not even know the whole story, depending on what Galaxus told him. But I felt worse knowing that I opened up this tiny little bit of myself and suddenly the door I only opened a crack to let the light in now held a tantalizing mystery to everyone who wanted to know me.

"Forget it," I told him swiftly. "Let's just say that I'm not just making this decision for myself. I have other people in my life I need to worry about. The choices I make will affect others who are important to me."

Natsu looked bored and heaved a great sigh as he flopped down on a bed to my left. "What a pain in the ass," he grumbled. "You should just be making that decision for yourself. Your life isn't about pleasing everyone around you, its about making choices that will benefit you and your happiness. If these 'people' you're talking about really care for you as much as you care for them, they should understand."

Now I blinked at the pink-haired guy with surprise. "I didn't expect you to say something so…, thoughtful. I guess I can't underestimate you, Salamander."

"I get that a lot." He triumphantly put his hands behind his head and kicked a leg up on his pointed knee.

I snorted. "I'm sure you do."

…

After Natsu left the Infirmary, I lay down on the bed I was sitting in. It was so _difficult_ to talk to people who didn't know me. I was so used to talking to Damien, it was hard to remember that not everyone knew me like he did. Damien was my only friend, even if he was really only ever my bodyguard.

It was difficult to socialize with anyone in my old village. All anyone would ever do was talk amongst themselves. They took care of me because they knew I was an orphan. They took care of me because they knew my parents. But I knew the truth. They were scared of me. Scared of my power, my cold demeanor, my past. I tried as best as I could to be friendly with everyone but it was lost on them. The villagers never trusted me and that distrust would never be swayed. I was the black sheep.

And Damien was the unfortunate shepard.

I met him right after Galaxus disappeared. I was going through a phase of hating everything and everyone when it finally settled in that I was completely alone. The forest where the village was situated was where I spent most of my time. Galaxus and I had lived farther away from everyone. After all, if they had seen him, they would have tried to kill him for sure. And would have failed miserably too but you have to give humans some credit for their bravery.

I wandered around, going nowhere in particular. At times I would just blindly stumble through the woods. Out of nowhere, random bursts of rage would flare up. I'd summon a galaxy blade and start slashing at trees, screaming like a banshee as I had swung madly at ancient trunks. I blamed everything for everything ever at that time and any unfortunate person or thing that was in my path got the extent of my anger. At the end of my temper tantrum, giant trees would lay mangled on the forest floor, probably cursing my existence for needlessly cutting them down. I would be on my hands and knees panting. Then, after a moment of slowing my heart rate and lulling my fury, I would start to cry. The kind of crying you do when you make these awful screeches at the top of your lungs while your tears are like waterfalls cascading down your cheeks. And when the worst of it was over, I would lay there in the middle of the forest, hiccuping and falling asleep over all the emotional energy drained from me.

Then I'd wake up and start the cycle all over again. I'd take a minute to find food every now and then but eventually I found that it was wasted on me. I felt like I wanted to die.

But in the middle of one of my outbursts, Damien wandered in. I noticed his presence and tried to ignore it. My rage increased as I started to notice he was watching me swing at the trees. I swung even faster, with even more strength until I was slicing trees apart with one swing. Eventually I was facing a rock wall and started slashing at that until my arms felt numb and my hands were bleeding. My magic power whittled away as the celestial blade I had summoned vanished from my grasp and I stumbled forward, placing my hands against the rock face for support.

I wasn't really sure what had gotten into me. I was exhausted, magically drained, and fairly injured. I had spent at least 3 hours hacking away at the rock and yet I still felt so much hatred and agony. My heart felt like it was twisting in sickening ways as I tried to find a way to accept the fact that the only being in my life up until then that cared for me was now gone.

Just gone.

I started feebly punching the stone before I slid to the dirty ground and pounded my head halfheartedly against the hard surface while I began to cry. By this time, Damien had been creeping slowly forward until now, he reached out to me and held me as I cried.

I was 5 years old at the time.

Damien was 8.

Thinking back on it now, he was always a very serious guy. Even when he was young and started looking after me, he was completely independent and mature. I was out of it for a few days as he took care of me in a cottage he had been living in on his own in the forest. He was the best person to take care of me because after moping around in bed for about a week, he slapped me and shouted that I got my act together.

I smirked quietly to myself as I snuggled deeper and deeper into the soft bed. I shimmied into the covers and rested my head against the pillow, becoming aware of the tear that had found its way down my cheek. I wiped it away briskly, and slowly felt myself being overtaken by sleep.

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><p><em><strong>Aaaaaaaand I just realized that I never described what Damien looks like. Way to go me.<strong>_

_**Next chapter, I swear.**_

_**I'll try to update on Fridays and I really hope that works out because my science teacher is being mean so know I have a final. Yay.**_

_**Adieu my friends, until next we meet...**_

_**(By the way, happy holidays for people who have winter holidays early in December. I hope it was swell.)**_


	7. Chapter 7- A Walk in the Rain

**_So uh, I guess I should stop promising release times._**

**_I have a legitimate reason this time. _**

**_My parents are kind of in the middle of a thing and to kind of give you some prospective; my father has moved out and I'm moving._**

**_So I think the reason is pretty legitimate._**

**_Anyway I hope you have a nice day and I'm sorry nothing really happens this chapter. I have big plans for the next one though. Just you wait and see._**

* * *

><p>The next day was extremely uneventful. No dreams and no drama but I could still feel the tension in the air as I walked through the main hall. The guild was becoming slightly suffocating, mostly due to the vague offer refusal I demonstrated the day before.<p>

Unfortunately, I still had no idea what I was going to do. Master Makarov didn't ask again or put pressure on me, which was a great relief. Everyone else was silently trying to make me join with the mind powers they didn't have.

So, I decided to go out for the afternoon. A chance to see the city would be refreshing, and might help clear my mind. After tying my hair up in a ponytail, I changed back into the clothes I arrived in (a black, sleeveless turtleneck that hugged my, uh… _endowed_ frame, black shorts and black combat boots[can you guess what my favorite color is?]) and grabbed my travelling cloak off a chair in the infirmary.

I was glad to be getting some peace for the first time in a few days. I walked out of the infirmary and into the Guild Hall. A few looked in my direction and nodded while the rest continued talking in their groups. The mages of Fairy Tail have gotten used to my presence more quickly than I could have imagined, which was fine with me. Being a spectacle was something I wasn't used to, so having some of the attention off of me was nice.

I was close to the main hall door when it opened, the hinges creaking with use. It was raining lightly in the large city. The sky of Magnolia was gray and a little light. A flash of blonde bolted inside, making my hair stand on end. But it was only Lucy, desperately trying to escape the rain. Although, anything set me off recently.

The celestial mage heaved a great sigh of relief, and turned to me, surprised.

"Oh, Ivy," she said while wringing out her hair. "I didn't expect to see you. Are you going somewhere?"

"Just for a walk," I told her. "I need to clear my head."

She smiled, almost sympathetically. "Care for some company?"

"Thanks for the offer, but I need sometime to myself."

"I understand. Are you sure you want to go out into the rain though? You might catch a cold."

"Nah, I'll be fine. Plus, I love the rain. It has a calming effect on me."

"Your lucky then. Rain always makes me depressed; it's so gloomy."

We exchanged farewells and I walked out of the guild.

The moment I stepped outside, it felt as if someone had just taken this heavy burden off my shoulders. The air outside was crisp and cool, somewhat unlike the rainy summer days at my hometown which were always hot and humid. The raindrops were like refreshing kisses to my skin. I smiled involuntarily and started a slow walk through the city.

I wouldn't go far I decided. Only enough to enjoy the weather and to clear my head. I obviously couldn't join Fairy Tail. Damien would burn me alive if I went and joined a guild while I ran away from him. I shivered as I remembered leaving. I asked the apothecary to give me a sleeping drug and slipped it into the ale he had every friday. What was the harm in it? I would just slip out and experience an unsheltered life for a little while. Then, I would return on my own, permitted that Damien wouldn't catch me and drag me back by the scruff of my neck first.

My blood ran cold whenever I thought about him looking for me. For one, I was being was inconsiderate, mostly because all he had ever done was taken care of me. He trained me and gave me a place to live. But also, he would most definately be using his power to find me, and the thought of him travelling to Magnolia then confronting me about running away was bone chilling in itself. He would be furious and glare at me with his piercing green eyes and might even fight me.

Damien, to say the least, was intense. And his rage was also intense. Especially when it's directed at me. And this whole act was guaranteed to incur the great wrath of Damien Esbern.

So why was I doing this? I would just disappoint myself by getting attached to people and then getting torn away from them like a page in a book. A book that I didn't belong to. And yet I was desperately searching for something that had always been foreign and almost dreamlike to me.

Friends.

Companions, allies, etc. People I could think fondly of and trust.

I'd only ever had Damien and Galaxus and they didn't exactly count. Galaxus was my dad, and Damien is like… OK, so I don't exactly know what Damien is. A bodyguard? A caretaker? Whatever he was, I had never really considered him as a "friend." Of course, we would do anything for each other and we are always looking out for one another but that's what people do when they have someone they depend on to survive. A symbiotic relationship, really. Huh. That's kind of depressing to think about.

It was at this point that I noticed that I hadn't put up my hood up yet, despite having walked at least a mile. My hair was pretty wet, but not soaked. I sighed and went through the annoying process of putting my hood up and stuffing it into the back of the cloak so I could have cold, wet hair all over my back. Yay.

_You say you aren't friends but why do you care so much about his feelings if you join Fairy Tail?_

I stopped dead in my tracks. I didn't think that, but yet I heard the voice, clear as day. I looked around to see if anyone had said anything, but there was no one in sight. I tried to place the voice but I couldn't pin down exactly what it had sounded like. I shivered again, and not just from my cold back.

I slowly began walking back to Fairy Tail absentmindedly. I chose to ignore the creepy voice invading my mind, but the message was one I could not. Why _did_ I care so much? I mean, sure we lived together since I was young and he's only ever taken care of me, but I said it myself. What we had was not friendship. It was more like a symbiotic relationship. And yet I fretted over making his life inconvenient and abandoning him.

Conclusion: I have no idea how to analyze relationships and should stop before I confuse myself too much.

Back to the matter of joining Fairy Tail or not.

Natsu said it himself; I shouldn't live my life to please others. I should make decisions based on what would make me happy. Joining Fairy Tail, from what I have been able to gather, would make me _very_ happy. Going back home with Damien would not make me happy. Quite the opposite actually. And the way I see it, I haven't been very happy at all since Galaxus disappeared. So why make myself even more depressed than usual and give in to what Damien would want me to do?

Before I knew it, my enlightening walk ended right in the nick of time. I was under some shelter from a board protruding above the door to the guild when the downpour had begun. Before, the rain had been light and refreshing. Now it was overpowering and really loud.

Well, whatever. I was done with my walk anyway, Mother Nature.

I opened the door swiftly and entered. The guild seemed less smothering than it had before, which was relieving. No one seemed particularly interested in my return but a few people welcomed me back. I started taking my cloak off as I headed to the showers, aware of my hair getting increasingly colder and almost heavier. It would be nice to warm up, due to the fact that can't really feel cold until I'm about to freeze to death, as Damien often tells me.

But I never had the chance to, because I noticed Gajeel and Natsu talking amongst themselves at a table, which was odd. The two of them, although they weren't _not_ friends, never really sat down to talk. Also, I didn't think I had ever seen them have a moment where they weren't picking a fight over _something_. Curiosity got the best of me, so I decided to nonchalantly eavesdrop. Thank you for Dragon Slayer ears.

"What did he look like?" Natsu's voice. It sounded almost worried.

"Hell, I don't remember." Gajeel now. This sounded like an odd discussion. "He was wearing a hood. I never got a good look at the guy."

"So he just asked you where she was, and left?"

"Pretty much. I don't even know how he knew that girl was here."

This had started to intrigue me. I had the tiniest feeling that they might have been talking about who I thought they were talking about, and if that was true, then I would be in trouble.

"Ivy's barely been here 2 days and she already has people after her. Was the Master right to trust her?" Gajeel sounded like he didn't mean what he had said, but I didn't pay that much attention to it.

My suspicions had been confirmed. Someone was looking for me. And most likely, it was Damien.

"I don't doubt the old man's decision." Natsu said decisively.

I couldn't stand still any longer.

"What's going on?" I asked somewhat hushed as I walked up to the two of them. They looked at me in surprise, then grimaced to each other.

"I heard most of it already," I stated louder, hoping I was right. "There's no point in hiding anything. What are you talking about?" Gajeel hesitated, but spoke.

"When I was on my way to the guild, some creepy guy was walking around. He was cloaked in black and stopped people to ask questions. So, he eventually stopped _me_ and asked about a girl that sounded surprisingly similar to you. So I asked what the girl's name was and sure enough, it was you."

I stood still for a moment. My eyes were slightly widened and my hands felt shaky. The two looked concerned.

"I assume you know who that was?" Gajeel asked me.

Slowly, I nodded. Dammit! I knew he was getting closer but I didn't expect him to be in the city already. Plus, he knew that I was looking for the Salamander and knew who Gajeel was and what he looked like. All he was waiting for was a chance to strike.

"So who was it?" Natsu inquired. I took a deep breath.

"That," I began in a voice that sounded weak. Ugh. "was Damien Esbern."

Natsu blinked at me, confused. "And who is that?"

I grimaced with my reply.

"Damien is kind of my bodyguard. And I kind of ran away from him. And now he's kind of here to bring me back."

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><p><em><strong>I hope that wasn't too bad.<br>**_

_**I'm pretty excited for the next chapter though. Thanks to everyone following the story by the way.**_

_**You guys rock.**_

_**I hope you all have a lovely day.**_


	8. Chapter 8 - A Fateful Encounter

**_Yo yo everybody._**

**_Sorry that just sounded wrong._**

**_Hello readers, and allow me to thank you for doing so because lord knows I don't know why you do, I cringe every time I post a new chapter._**

**_The observant readers might notice that I changed the summary. It was to corny for my taste. Sorry if it confused you._**

**_Don't you just hate it when the manga interferes with the plot of your fanfic? Just pretend that the time skip didn't happen yet okay and if you don't know what I'm talking about please just ignore me please and thank you._**

**_Anyway update on my situation: I'm not moving but things are really kind of tense at my house so please just bear with me._**

**_In any case, enjoy the chapter. (I ACTUALLY FORGOT TO EDIT THIS CHAPTER BEFORE I POSTED IT THAT'S WHY I TOOK IT DOWN AND NOW REPOSTING IT I'M SO SORRY. I AM COMPLETELY ASHAMED.)  
><em>**

**_Oh and by the way, I don't own Fairy Tail. Just the 2 OCs in here._**

* * *

><p>"So let me go through this just one more time."<p>

A large amount of sighing ensued from the comment made by the pink-haired teen. This had to have been the fifth time I had to explain the situation to Natsu and as much as I loved reliving the past, the headache I was getting didn't agree.

"I swear this is the last time!" he yelled defensively. Most of the guild was gathered around a large table where I sat with Natsu, Lucy, Gajeel, Wendy, Gray Erza, and Juvia explaining myself over and over hoping that Natsu would understand.

Unfortunately, I was not so lucky.

"So this guy was living with you after your dragon disappeared, right?" he asked, _again_.

"Yes," I grumbled tiredly as I rested my head on my arms. By now it was getting late, and all I wanted to do was get some sleep, permitting that Damien didn't find me first.

"And he's been protecting you, right?"

"Yup."

"And training you, and not letting you leave, and not letting you have much free will?"

"Pretty much."

"And so you you sort of ran away from home so you could meet the dragon slayers and find out what happened to Galaxus?"

"Exactly."

"I still don't get it."

I was groaning so loudly, it could have been classified as a scream. "Natsu I have tried being as patient as possible with you but this is ridiculous. What the hell is it that you don't understand?"

He shook his head. "No no, I get the story," he clarified. "I just don't understand why you would live with such a killjoy. He sounds like an overprotective mother."

"Well it wasn't really my choice," I sigh. "It just sort of happened and before I knew it, there was really no escaping my fate. His job was, well, _is_, to protect me until one of us dies. I never really understood why. Hence the running away from home?"

"I guess that makes sense…" Natsu looked as though he was figuring something out in his head, so everyone decided to leave him to it for the time being.

"More importantly," Lucy said trying to revert the topic back on track. "If he's in Magnolia now, aren't you in danger?"

I scoffed slightly. "I wouldn't say that I'm in danger, it's not like he would kill me as soon as he sees me. He'll just try to bring me back is all."

"But you don't want to return, correct?" Erza asked is a no nonsense tone.

I rested my chin in my palm, straightening up a bit. "Correct."

"Would this be considered a kidnapping then?" Juvia asked seriously, looking concerned.

"I guess so," I chuckled, not feeling as serious as she did.

"So can't we just beat him up and make him leave?" Gray asked crossing his arms over his bare chest. Wait, when did he take his shirt off?

I shook my head vigorously. "It's not that simple. Damien is strong, and I don't say that lightly. His physical strength is a marvel in itself, not to mention he's terrifyingly intelligent. He can plan maneuvers in seconds and carry them out in an instant. And as if that wasn't bad enough, his magic just makes him all the more terrifying."

"Wait," Lucy said, raising her own head up from resting on her arms. "He's a mage?"

I raised an eyebrow at the Celestial Spirit mage. "Of course he is. He mostly uses a sword for battles, but if he doesn't feel like its enough, he'll use his magic."

"What kind of magic does he have?" Gray inquired.

I grimaced. It was never easy to explain things about Damien, especially to people who have never met him. "It's not any ordinary magic," I started out carefully. "But it's very powerful and somewhat… dark."

"How powerful?" Wendy asked curiously while tilting her head.

"Well," I sighed as I leaned back in my chair, locking my fingers behind my head. "Without a doubt, its stronger than Dragon Slayer magic."

At once, all of the guild members surrounding the table turned to give me a surprised look, while Natsu and Gajeel gave me a doubtful eyebrow raise. I was slightly upset that the Master wasn't here, due to the fact that at least he would take me seriously and maybe even help devise a plan. According to Mirajane, the Master stepped out for the afternoon and said he'd return in the evening. It was 5 o'clock now, and the probability of him reaching the guild before Damien did was highly unlikely.

"I'm not just saying that to scare you guys, its completely true," I crossed my arms as I spoke. "I've seen him in quite a bit of fights and I have to say it's kind of…" I trailed off, not knowing a word on the spot for the description. "Scary."

"How so?" Lucy asked me with a serious expression. I looked out a window near the table and didn't answer.

"We're missing the point here!" Erza exclaimed, trying to re-establish some order. "Ivy, you are being tracked down and you seem quite sure that this Damien _will _find you, correct?"

I nodded slowly, still looking out the window. The sunset bathed the city in a golden glow, which gave me a sense of warmth.

"So the only thing we need to discuss here is what you want to do. Do you wish to go back to your homeland with him, or stay here?"

"Well I definitely don't want to go back so I'll take the staying here option please."

Erza smirked before she continued. "I'm glad, and I hate to bring up the main problem here but you can't stay here forever if you don't make up your mind about joining Fairy Tail."

I sighed loudly and ran my fingers through my messy hair. It was still damp from the rain but less so since the conversation had started. "I know that," I said, annoyed. "But the bigger problem at hand is dealing with-"

Before I could finish, a loud noise resounded through the hall. I slowly turned my head to source of the sound. The main hall doors had been kicked open by a hooded figure, one that smelled familiar.

There in the entrance to Fairy Tail stood the man I feared most in life.

Damien.

I wanted to get up and run away, break through a window and take off as fast as my legs could carry me. I wanted to, but found that I couldn't. I was actually frozen in fear for the first time in my life. Actually, make that the second time. I shivered violently for a quick second as I looked straight at his emerald eyes.

Damien walked forward slowly through the hall, over to where the gathering of guild members were. I felt a few go rigid with hostility and a few with defensiveness. No one spoke though. They just watched him edge closer and closer as he stared at me, emotionless.

When he was a meter or so away from the table, a little too close for my taste, he removed his hood that was attached to his black traveling cloak. His medium-brown hair sparkled with a few leftover raindrops, which he slightly shook as he stood there. As he shook his head, his cloak revealed a scabbard of a sword at his left hip. I gulped.

All was deadly silent, no one daring to move to break the quiet with any accusations.

Everyone except, of course, Natsu.

"Oi!" he yelled in annoyance. "Who the hell are you?"

I wanted to kill him. Even after all the time of explaining what had happened and absolutely everything (within reason), he still couldn't put two and two together. Before anyone could insult his idiocy, a deep yet refined voice stopped them.

"Although that should not matter to the likes of you, my name is Damien Alexander Esbern."

The voice of course belonged to Damien. His expression was still impossible to read, being that it was virtually expression_less_. Nevertheless, it was still icy cold and his irritated voice betrayed this demeanor. Natsu did not look amused.

"'The likes of'? The hell is that supposed to mean?" he asked angrily. I had noticed almost immediately after meeting Natsu that he was absolutely terrible at masking his emotions. If he felt a certain way, he made sure to express it. If he didn't like the way you said something to him, he made sure to mention it to you, no doubt rudely. Although he was able to back this up by being extremely strong, making anyone who decided to challenge him lose instantly, with the exception of the stronger guild members such as Erza, this would most certainly be his downfall, especially if he talked like that to Damien. It is worth noting though that Damien wasn't one to get baited easily.

"It's meaning should be obvious," Damien stated emotionless. "When one uses it in such a context as I did, it could only mean that I believe you are beneath me in rank, which I do."

Uh oh.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU SAY YOU LITTLE BASTARD?" Natsu launched himself at Damien with amazing speed.

"Natsu, wait!" several people called, including myself. But it was too late. Natsu already had a fist made and it was hurtling itself at Damien's face. I could only witness the violence that ensued.

Before anyone could register what had happened, Natsu was on his back with a sword pointed downward at his throat. Damien had one foot crushing into his chest as he gave me a sideways glare. Natsu sounded like he had the wind knocked out of him, as he was gasping for air. Everyone gasped as Erza, Gray, Gajeel, and Juvia stood up on the defensive.

"I'm not here to deal with fools like you," he muttered to Natsu. "I'm here to reclaim a certain individual who's taking refuge here."

I was there in an instant, putting a hand on his shoulder with a powerful grip that would have made any normal person's arm go limp. But this was Damien, and he was the one who taught most of the things I know about hand to hand combat, so he was unphased.

"Let him go," I growled so fiercely, it surprised myself how evil I sounded. Damien looked at me for a moment before obeying quietly, slowly sheathing his blade and removing his foot from the pink-haired idiot who was still trying to catch his breath.

"Perhaps we could have a chat Damien," I said coldly. "Just the two of us."

"You certainly have a lot of explaining to do," he said in an irritated manner. "Maybe a nice little sparring match will help clear your mind and maybe even help you make an excuse to justify whatever the hell you've done."

I smirked in defiance, knowing that I could never defeat Damien in a fight. "As long as you promise not to kill me, I'd be delighted."

He laughed harshly. "Surely Ivy you must know by now," he countered. "that I only make promises I know I can keep."

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><p><em><strong>So was it awful?<strong>_

_**I hope not but OH MY GOD did I actually make things happen in this chapter?! What sorcery is this? **_

_**I wonder how many people will like Damien because even I think he's kind of an asshole. Is that a good thing?**_

_**Anyway, have a lovely day.**_


	9. Chapter 9 - The Sparring Match

**_Well folks after a whopping 4,000 words, the next chapter of _The New Dragon Slayer_ is up. I'm not too sure how everyone will feel about the chapter, but I hope it's not too bad._**

**_I feel the need to address some of the reviews I got because I don't know. I got three and I want to respond I guess._**

**_Alyn: Thank you for the kind words! I try to update as frequently as I can, but writing these doesn't always come easily, even though I wish they did :)_**

**_CelesteZodiac: Thank you! I believe you're referring to chapter 7 about the ending and I know. Endings aren't my strong suit it seems. Also, I appreciate the continued reviews, they make me feel all warm inside :)_**

**_I love to read reviews for the story, but I'm not gonna force you guys to do anything. I'm not big on the whole 'self-advertising' thing. Look what happened on Youtube._**

**_In any case, enjoy the chapter._**

* * *

><p><em>Lucy's POV<em>

Lucy never thought that a span of 5 minutes could be so absolutely confusing and slightly terrifying. She was wrong.

At first, Lucy didn't quite understand what was going on. Everyone was gathered around and talking about Ivy's predicament, then all of the sudden the doors were kicked open and that guy Damien walked in and had Natsu pinned down in seconds, something she thought only Erza and the Master could do. Then Ivy looked like she had teleported to Damien's side and was challenged to a sparring match. Usually Lucy was good at keeping up with things; it's a necessity when you're around such interesting and spontaneous people.

But this was just crazy.

The weirdest part though, was that no one dared to move or talk the entire time Damien was here. Team Natsu stood up to take action only after Damien had him pinned down with a blade to his throat. Lucy found that she couldn't even stand she was so stunned. She had no opportunity to reflect on this because suddenly Ivy and Damien were walking toward the back entrance of the guild that led to the small training ground outside. As if in a trance, the rest of the guild followed.

Lucy and Wendy walked over to Natsu who looked like he was starting to regain his breath but was still flat on the floor, looking stunned. She crouched down next to him and helped him sit up along with Wendy.

"Are you okay Natsu?" Wendy asked tentatively. He looked unharmed, just discombobulated. He was slowly looking back to normal as his brain was registering what had happened.

"How," he gasped slightly. "How did he…?"

Lucy shook her head feeling just as stumped as he did. "I don't know," she almost whispered. "But it was scary. His speed is incredible, almost… inhuman."

"Ivy's going to fight him, _willingly_?" Wendy asked looking quite afraid. Lucy knew that Wendy's empathy was pretty strong, so this must be torture to the little Dragon Slayer.

"She is?" Natsu asked, shocked. Lucy blinked at him.

"Didn't you hear their conversation?" she asked slowly. Natsu promptly shook his head. Lucy bit her lip and sighed. She stood and held her hand out to the pinkette on the floor, who accepted it. "It's going on right now. Let's watch, okay?"

Natsu nodded. He still looked a bit wild but he grimaced slightly. "I hope Ivy knows what she's doing," he muttered to himself but loudly enough for Lucy and Wendy to hear him.

"So do I," Lucy whispered.

_Ivy's POV_

I felt kind of stupid. I mean, the first thing I thought was that Damien would just show up to take me back and I would have to convince him I wasn't leaving somehow. I didn't expect to fight him, much less expect _him_ to instigate it.

But there we were, in the grassy courtyard behind Fairy Tail, distanced from each other to get ready for the fight ahead.

I knew for a fact that I couldn't beat Damien, he was too powerful and too quick for me to land any good hits. But he wouldn't go all out on me, so I still had a chance. He wouldn't go all out on me, right?

Damien set his cloak down on a small wooden table that was near the back door of Fairy Tail. Members were filing steadily through the door into the courtyard to watch the fight. The only ones I found missing were Natsu, Lucy, and Wendy, who appeared slightly after everyone who was watching the fight came outside. Natsu looked like he had recovered from shock and now looked like a mix between worried and annoyed.

The courtyard was square shaped and was fairly large, big enough for Damien and I to have plenty of room to fight as well as enough room for the spectators. As he distanced himself from a reasonable length, I got into a defensive position.

"So would you like to tell me what sort of drug you used on me before you left?" Damien called as he unsheathed his sword.

"It was just a simple sleep potion I had the apothecary woman whip up," I answered with a smug grin. "Galaxy Blade," I whispered quietly, summoning my own sword. It materialized in my right hand, weightless at first until I gripped it. It wasn't heavy, but it had good balance.

"She just gave you a potion, no problem?"

I grinned at him mischievously. "She was reluctant at first, but I told her I was having trouble sleeping and that I was getting nightmares. She seemed to cooperate quite nicely after that."

"You're so quick to lie to people," he remarked bitterly. "Like when you told me you were no longer interested in all of the Dragon Slayer nonsense, and yet here you are."

"I never said I was wasn't interested anymore, I just said I would stop talking about it, which I did."

"You're missing the point."

"No, _you're _missing the point!" I charged. He charged as well, parrying my swing. "I shouldn't be kept up in some cottage in the middle of nowhere just because you don't want me out of your sight. That's just fucking creepy!" I swung again and he met my blow with a parry. He wasn't applying too much pressure against my blade, which I was slightly thankful for. It enabled me the ability to talk and fight at the same time without worrying about him throwing me off.

"Well what would you _want_ me to do?" he asked as pressured me more, getting aggravated. "You can't just trapse around the country without a care in the world, calling out for Galaxus like he's some lost dog!" Angered flared up in me, making me fight back with more strength. I tried my best not to use all of my power to avoid premature exhaustion.

"You know that's not what it would be like you jerk!" I started overpowering him, until he broke away and jumped back. I did the same when I noticed the tension in his blade change. "I don't know why you'd assume I'd act like an idiot and get myself in trouble without you. If anything, I'd be better off! You never give me the chance to do anything for you to notice that I'm not a little girl anymore!"

He jumped into action so suddenly, I barely had enough time to guard. When I did, it was sloppy and nearly knocked me off balance. "I don't need you to do anything," he shouted. "except to stop acting like a brat and going off on your own. You always do things without thinking of the consequences and its hurting others."

"I'm not hurting anyone by living my life! I was hurting myself the longer I stayed with you in that fucking forest in the middle of goddamn nowhere!" I was getting too aggravated, and it was showing in my swordsmanship. "Enough, we can talk after we're done."

We 'sparred' like that for a while. Constantly clashing and bashing and parrying blows. He was obviously the winner after about 10 minutes of this, being that his stamina was pretty incredible. My own endurance wasn't bad but it was nowhere near his. It had always been annoying when I sparred with Damien in the past. We had done it constantly and he seemed to never run out of energy, so it would always end up being me lying on the floor feeling like death while he just stood there like he had a quick walk through the park.

And sure enough, within a few more minutes of fighting, he knocked me off my feet and I landed on my back. I closed my eyes for several seconds, feeling the fatigue sink into my bones. This always happened. I would overestimate my own abilities, in hopes that my confidence would help me win. But it wasn't confidence, it was just plain cockiness.

I tried to stand, but just as I propped myself onto my elbows, Damien's sword was pointed straight down to my neck. I slowly raised my head to look at him in the eye, loathing the fact that he was able to look down on me in more ways than one. I glared at him with much hatred, hoping to soothe the inferiority stirring in my heart.

"That's enough," he said with finality. "I'm tired of dancing around our problems like this."

My glare softened just a bit. "Are you trying to say you want to talk about this?" I asked, slightly hopeful but careful not to let my voice show it. It wasn't often Damien wanted to have a civilized discussion about things. Hell, it wasn't often Damien wasted to talk about anything in general. He wasn't one to express his feelings much.

"What?" he slightly raised an eyebrow. "No, it's clear that I've won. I'm going to take you back home."

I growled, all of the hope draining from me like rain down the gutter. In one swift movement, I propped myself to a more sturdy position and knocked his feet out from under him with my right leg. I grabbed my sword, which had been laying on the ground next to me prior, and pounced on top of his chest. It was childish, I knew but it was the only way to take advantage of the situation. I leveled my brilliant blade to his throat as it glowed a powerful blue, matching the heat of my anger. It was almost hard to look at it was so bright, but if it was that way to Damien, he did not show it. He just blinked at me.

"Damien," I whispered, my voice shaking with anger. "I don't _want_ to go home. That's why I left to begin with. Now I know it's hard for you to understand that there are some people in the world who dislike being locked up in isolation like some sort of bird in a cage and I know it's even harder for you to understand that I am one of those people. So why don't you do me a favor and hear me when I say this:"

My sword broke and faded into stardust and I quickly to grab his shoulders. I raised him up slightly before crashing my skull into his, causing me probably as much pain as it did to him, but more damage to me more than anyone.

"I'M NOT GOING HOME!" I shouted as loud as my lungs would let me.

Everything was still for a moment. Damien brought his hands to his now bleeding forehead and I sat there, still on top of him so he wouldn't move, panting after all the exertion. My head was screaming in pain and I felt dizzy as I used every ounce of willpower I had to stay composed.

I punched him in the chest, not hard, but not too soft either. I looked down at my hands, feeling blood trickle down from my _own _forehead. I continued to softly punch him the chest, hoping the futile efforts to soothe my heart would be successful.

"I'm not going home." I said it softer now, almost like a whisper. "I'm not going back there; back to that place. It's a prison, Damien. And I don't know how much longer I can take being it's prisoner." I felt tears prick my eyes and my throat hurt from trying to ignore them. I wasn't in the mood to start bawling in front of everyone in Fairy Tail, but I was close. "And you," I said, pausing to take a shaky deep breath. "You are the warden, hell-bent on bringing me back. And you know what? This prisoner is tired running from the warden all the time. But there is no way in _hell_ that you could take me back there, no matter how much you think you're doing me a favor."

I felt the tears trail down my face without my consent, but I was thankful that I wasn't making any sniffling sounds. "So please," my voice shook and sounded higher than normal. "Please… just stop. I can't take much more of this."

Damien stared at me in shock. I didn't cry much in my time, besides when Galaxus disappeared and when I fell of a tree that one time and broke my leg. He seemed to be at a loss for words, as was the rest of the guild. I tightened my fists and lightly slammed them down on his chest. "Please."

And with that, my vision blurred and shifted. I felt dizzier than ever and for the second time, I felt myself fall, slowly becoming unconscious.

I did, however, feel Damien catch me, like I knew he would.

_Lucy's POV_

It wasn't that uncommon to watch fights, especially in a guild of people who love to do just that.

It was uncommon to see a fight without any magic though, but that didn't mean it was any less entertaining. Well, entertaining wasn't the best word for it. Perhaps something more along the lines of _entrancing_.

When Lucy arrived outside with Natsu and Wendy, the fight hadn't begun yet. Both parties had their swords at the ready, and seemed to be taunting each other.

"..., and yet here you are." Lucy was only able to catch the last part of whatever Damien was saying before she got there.

"I never said I was wasn't interested anymore," Ivy retorted. "I just said I would stop talking about it, which I did."

"You're missing the point."

"No, _you're _missing the point!" And with that, Ivy charged at Damien while he did the same to her. They slashed at each other again and again, Ivy mainly being on the offensive while Damien defended himself from every blow she dealt to him. It almost looked as if he was letting her attack him, but Lucy hoped she was just imagining it.

The two yelled at each other some more until Ivy said something like "enough talk" and the pair wildly clashed blades, the sharp _clang_ resounded clearly throughout the training yard.

"They're fast," Lucy commented as she watched them in astonishment. "They're speed is incredible."

Erza who stood nearby nodded in agreement. "But," she said as she analyzed the fight herself. "It seems as though he is faster than Ivy. It looks as if he is not fighting to his full extent.

Lucy's eyes widened. '_I don't want to know what he's like when he's using his full power, this guy is already too strong!' _Lucy shivered as she thought about it. On her left, she felt Natsu stiffen. She turned to look at him, her eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"Natsu?" Lucy asked, worry lining her words. "What's wrong?" Natsu shook his head.

"It's not a big deal," he said, almost as if to reassure himself. "But that guy smells,... weird…"

"Weird?" Lucy asked confused. She didn't understand how Dragon Slayer noses worked, and didn't know what could be classified as smelling 'weird'. "How do you mean?"

"I'm not sure," he said frowning a bit. "It's almost… dark or even kind of…"

"Dangerous," Wendy concluded. "It's not normal, and it makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, almost as if to say 'Danger, danger!'"

"I know what you mean," Natsu agreed. Lucy's brow furrowed further.

Suddenly, Ivy was on the ground and had a sword pointed toward her throat. Everyone stiffened, and Lucy even felt her hand reaching toward her keys on her left hip. Natsu grabbed her hand before she could, making her jump slightly.

"Wha-?"

"I know how you feel, but you shouldn't interfere," he said in a low voice. "This is something they need to work out."

Lucy blinked at him in surprise. It wasn't often that Natsu would tell _her_ not to interfere in something. More accurately, it never happened. All Lucy could do was make her hand go slack and return it to her side.

And then Ivy had Damien pinned to the ground, with her sitting on his chest aiming her blade to his neck.

"Damien," Ivy said so quietly, Lucy almost couldn't hear her. "I don't _want_ to go home. That's why I left to begin with. Now I know it's hard for you to understand that there are some people in the world who dislike being locked up in isolation like some sort of bird in a cage and I know it's even harder for you to understand that I am one of those people. So why don't you do me a favor and hear me when I say this:"

Ivy's now blue blade shattered into stardust (had it always been blue?), startling the onlookers. Why would someone throw away their weapon in the middle of a duel?

The answer to that question followed immediately after, and the answer was:

A headbutt. A freaking headbutt into the skull of her opponent.

"I'M NOT GOING HOME!" Her shout resounded throughout the clearing, sending a chill down Lucy's spine. Wendy shivered next to her. Ivy then started punching Damien softly in the chest, speaking to soft for Lucy to hear now. But Ivy was crying and Damien was staring at her in shock.

It broke Lucy's heart.

And then Ivy passed out. Again.

The guild stirred at this, murmurs of alarm flared up all around Lucy. Everyone hesitated though, mainly due to the fact that the one who caught the girl was the same person who beat Natsu in about 2 seconds. Damien stood up and held Ivy in her unconscious state, looking down at her before he surveyed the rest of the guild.

And suddenly, someone was tapping Lucy's leg for her to move out of the way.

She looked down in surprise at Master Makarov who had apparently returned and had been watching the fight for a while now. Guild members parted and the Master walked toward Damien, who was watching him expressionlessly.

"Who are you?" the boy asked quietly. Makarov looked up at him and Ivy and sighed

"I'm Fairy Tail's third guild master, Makarov," the old man said gruffly. "It seems as though the poor girl has gone and passed out again."

Damien's interest looked as though it perked up. "This has happened before?"

Makarov nodded slightly. "Here, I'll tell you about it on the way to out infirmary. She can rest there and you can patch yourself up."

Lucy was worried that Damien would refuse. She didn't want Ivy to leave, and she most certainly didn't want Damien leaving with her. He even looked like he would refuse. But in the end, the boy closed his eyes for a few seconds before opening them again and asking, "If you would."

As they walked into the guild, The master turned around. "Well," he asked. "What are you all standing around for? Scatter!"

And with that, the guild dispersed. Many went home after the long day they had went through, while some stayed. As it happened, Lucy, Natsu, Erza, Gray, Wendy, Happy, and Charle wound up following the Master and the new teen up to the infirmary, along with Mirajane who attended to Damien's head injury. Wendy however, focused on Ivy's injury, healing any damage that occurred to her skull. After a few moments of silence, Ivy was sleeping peacefully on the bed she had been sleeping on for the past few days, her long black hair splayed across the pillow she rested on. Mirajane remedied this immediately, saying that if she went to sleep like that, she would wake up with knots in the morning.

Damien had also been taken care of, a small bandage lay on his forehead as he sat on a chair that Wendy had brought over to heal Ivy. He looked at Ivy almost sadly before he spoke to Master Makarov.

"From what I gather, you have done a lot for her," he said quietly. "Thank you for looking after her."

"It's nothing," the Guild Master said with a shrug. "We always help those in need of it."

Damien was silent for a moment before he turned to Natsu. "I also would like to apologize for attacking you," he said, not sounding very apologetic. "It was rather… rude of me."

"Don't sweat it," Natsu mumbled, for once quiet about losing. After a moment of awkward silence, Natsu spoke suddenly."She really cares about you, you know? She wouldn't join Fairy Tail because she didn't want to betray you. You could try being a little more considerate towards her."

"Oi, Natsu," Lucy warned, her tone scolding. Damien didn't respond to his words.

"Master," Erza said in a desperate attempt to change the subject. "What are we going to do?"

The master was sitting on a bed to the right of Ivy's, crosslegged and observing quietly. "Well," he said, "I suggest that you stay here for the night. I'm sure you have much to talk about in the morning."

"Thank you very much," Damien said with no emotion. He didn't seem to have much of that.

"Alright then," Makarov got up and hopped down from the bed and slowly marched toward the door. "Mira will bring you up some dinner soon. Get some rest while you can. There's a lot to do in the morning. I wonder if I might be able to chat with the both of you tomorrow?"

Damien was silent, but didn't protest.

"Alright brats, get out," Master Makarov said as he opened the door. "It's not good to crowd people who are recovering."

As everyone filed out of the room, Lucy closed the door behind them.

"What a day," Gray mumbled as they walked down the steps.

"I'll say," Lucy agreed. "I feel worn out and I didn't even fight."

"Well there was certainly a lot of tension between those two," Erza offered. "I don't think that their little sparring match was enough to work out their issues."

"There's a lot going on that we don't know about," Wendy said mild-manneredly. "It's best to give them some time."

"And some dinner!" Mirajane said cheerfully, clapping her hands together. "I'll start making dinner for them. I wonder if Ivy will wake up by then…" She quietly mumbled to herself as she walked to the bar.

"You're being awfully quiet," Lucy pointed out while nudging Natsu with her elbow lightly. "Something the matter?"

The pink haired teen shook his head. "It's just been a weird day," he replied. Happy was on his shoulder nodding in agreement.

"Aye," he said. "I feel like all my energy is gooooone. Natsu, can we go home?"

"Sure," he agreed while stretching out his arms.

"I think I'll be heading home, too," Lucy said, suddenly feeling tiredness affect her own body."I'm exhausted."

"Everyone should go home," Wendy advised, looking at Charle who looked like she might fall asleep right then and there. "Its been a long day, and I don't think it will be any easier tomorrow."

While everyone went their own ways, Natsu, Lucy, and Happy, who was falling asleep on Natsu's shoulder, walked together alongside the river. It was quiet all the way to her door.

"Goodnight you two," Lucy said quietly. "See you tomorrow."

"Yeah, night," Natsu muttered absentmindedly. He looked preoccupied, thinking about today probably. Lucy couldn't blame him. She could barely wrap her head around what happened herself. Oh well, nothing that a nice hot bath and a good night's sleep could fix.

…

Lucy crawled into bed and snuggled under the covers, feeling rather cozy. She wasn't too thrilled for the next day, knowing it probably wouldn't be any less hectic, but it didn't bother her too much. She liked Ivy quite a bit, and maybe Damien wasn't that bad of a guy. After all, she barely knew him!

_I barely know about Ivy either,_ she thought as she closed her eyes and nestled into the pillow. _But I _do _know that something big is going to happen, and I'm not quite sure what will happen to those two when it does._

* * *

><p><em><strong>Look at all those words. It kind of seems that the members of Team Natsu are kind of assholes, seeing as how they just left Natsu on the floor. Rest assured that the only asshole here is me. I guess I'm not too comfortable yet with using characters that already exist because with an OC, you know what they would say and how they would feel. With characters like this, it's kind of guessing how they would react to stuff or what the would say at least. I'm sorry, but I will try to get better as I go along.<strong>  
><em>

_**Also, I go on school break next week! PARTYYYYYY. Nah, it'll probably just be me at home watching anime and Youtube. And Tumblr. Lots and lots of Tumblr. In any case, I will try to write as much as possible over the next 2 and 1/2 weeks so have faith, young one.**_

_**Have a good weekend all. Stay safe.**_


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